Topic:biomimicry

Review some of the cutting-edge designs inspired by the physiology of animals: Biobots. This Wired video shares how roboticists use nature's solutions to create snakebots, jumping bush baby bots, bots with gecko feet,...

What if we could make objects transform in the same way a flower unfolds from its bud? This is what designer, Harvard professor, and accidental toy inventor Chuck Hoberman is trying to figure out. His work, ranging fr...

The marine planarian, cuttlefish and Nile perch have one thing in common: in order to propel themselves, they use their fins to generate a continuous wave, which advances along their entire length. With this so-called...

In disasters such as earthquakes, sturdy robots might become excellent search and rescue tools. Industrial Design Engineering student Mattijs Otten of the TU Delft Robotics Institute in the Netherlands developed modul...

Releasing too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, thanks to the burning of fossil fuels, isn't a good thing. But what if leaves can provide some ideas for how we can turn this 'nuisance gas' into useful chemicals...

An air purifier, an art object, and a piece of lighting design all in one living, 'breathing' chandelier. This is London-based inventor and bioengineer Julian Melchiorri's Exhale Bionic Chandelier, a microorganism-fil...

When many individual organisms come together and move as one entity, that’s a swarm. From a handful of birds to billions of insects, swarms can be almost any size. They have no leader, and members interact only with t...

How is Japan’s Shinkansen, a long-nosed bullet train that travels up to 240–320 km/h (150–200 mph), like a kingfisher? Or an owl? Or an Adélie penguin? In this video from Vox and 99% Invisible, we see how these three ...

Untethered, battery-powered, and able to traverse a variety of terrains, these remote-controlled bipedal robots are designed for everything from search-and-rescue situations, to telepresence, to grocery delivery. They...

Beneath a ladybug's red shell, the spotted elytra that it's known for, the beetle's hind wings are efficiently folded until it wants to take off and fly. When it lands, the wings simply fold back up into a protected p...

Inspired by octopus tentacles and elephant trunks, this bionic arm can grab and hold a variety of round objects, both taking and passing it back to a human counterpart. It was designed and built by Festo's Bionic Lear...

Imagine an 8-year-old girl studying a seashell on the sand in Gulf Shores, Alabama in 1985. It's her first trip to the beach and it's a moment that will set the course of her career:
“The 8-year-old version of mys...

If you've ever been licked by a cat, did their tongue feel scratchy like sandpaper? The scratchiness is caused by their keratin papillae, tiny claw-like spines on their tongue that help to clean their fur. Cats (Felis...

Balancing on two legs with wheels for feet, Boston Dynamics' Handle robot looks a bit like it's rollerblading in a science fiction movie. Watch it roll down stairs, carry 45kg of stuff, and leap over hurdles. Yes, it ...

These almost-invisible robot hands can grab things quickly. MIT engineers have been working to create a durable gel formula that can be 3-D printed and laser cut into soft robotic parts, like flapping fish fins or gen...

The mantis shrimp is a fascinating creature. One kind impales prey with a spear-like appendage and another smashes prey with a built-in club — the fastest attack in the animal kingdom. "At 30 times faster than the bli...

Inspired by plant patterns, the reusability of waste materials, and architecture made from the earth in locations around the world, Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello of Emerging Objects studio are exploring the in...

Need help loading the dishwasher? Maybe an adorable giraffe and/or dino-style robot can help out. This is Boston Dynamics' SpotMini.
SpotMini is a new smaller version of the Spot robot, weighing 55 lbs dripping we...

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Search & enjoy 4,000+ smart & super-cool, “not-made-for-kids, but perfect for them” videos in the classroom or together at home, curated by Rion Nakaya with her 7 & 10 year olds. Click play and start a conversation.